Phils, Juan Castro agree to deal , pending physical
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Phils, Juan Castro agree to deal , pending physical
Andy Martino
The Phillies and veteran utilityman Juan Castro have agreed in principle on a contract, and will likely finalize the agreement with a physical next week, Castro’s agent told the Inquirer today. Additionally, there were strong indications in baseball that a one-year deal could be announced next week, pending the results of the physical.
According to agent Oscar Suarez, Castro is out of the country, which is why he will not likely take the physical until next week.
"We have been in discussions with his agent," said general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. "That's all I can tell you right now."
Castro, 37, is a .230 hitter, with a .270 on-base percentage, in 15 major league seasons. In 57 games with the Dodgers last year, he batted .277, while playing shortstop, second base, third base and left field.
He fits the profile of what the Phils are seeking at the utility position: a versatile defender who can provide a modest offensive upgrade over Bruntlett, and can fill in for shortstop Jimmy Rollins.
Manager Charlie Manuel is notoriously reluctant to utilize his bench players extensively, and has said publicly that he wants a utility player capable can of starting in place of Rollins and Chase Utley. Bruntlett, who batted .171 in 72 games last season, clearly never gained Manuel’s trust.
Rollins and Utley will both be 31 next season, and would benefit from regular time off. Rollins played in 155 games last season; Utley 156. The second baseman in particular endured a rough September, batting just .204. He later admitted to suffering mental and physical fatigue late in the season.
Comments (102)
If we cant significanly improve ourselves via the free agent market then the other teams cant either. Being the league champs...thats a good thing.— bigphillydad- Good Move... Better than Bruntlett, and he is a good fielder and a true Shortstop incase Rollins were to get hurt..— gallen024
Comment removed.- Yeah, why can't we trade for A-Rod to be our back-up utility guy. Get real people. They need someone who can play 2B, SS, 3B and possibly the OF. It's gotta be someone who only wants a 1-2 year deal because you don't sign utility guys to long term deals. It's gotta be someone who isn't good enough to start, otherwise they'd sign with a team where they can start. Do you people understand what a utility man is? As for career stats, all utility guys generally have up and down stats. It's pretty hard for someone to hit .300 consistently year after year when they get sporadic ABs.— JimG
- Most of your utility-types are older veterans--do you see any FAs that are younger than 30???. And with more at bats, the sharper you become. Before the Colorado series, Manuel said he wanted to get someone that would be able to spell Rollins and Utley so that they wouldn't tire out in Seotember and October. As someone else said, you could get Scutaro, but someone is going to pay him starter's money.— bobbyuk
- I'd love to have the Geritol franchise for this clubhouse.— drbob456
- How does this help?— dasher
- "Hopefully, the 30's are the new 20's." LMAO!! Hopefully, indeed!!— TerryW
- can he turn a triple play?— ralphj
- this is a 4th option move. but ALL PHILLIES' NEWS is more interesting than Eagles, Flyers & 76ers combined.— zen
- it's not a bad move either, just not a game changer.— dreinterests
- Competing over a 37 year old .230 lifetime batter? I guess we "beat out" the Dodgers for his services, huh? How often are we going to be able to rest Utley, with this guy as a back up? The Phillies are cheap, cheap, cheap. They have to seize the day while they still have the core of a once in a lifetime team.— Bobphxville
- This just in.....the Phils are considering signing a broom, which they say would be a modest upgrade over Bruntlett— SB123
- Ruben has made good choices as the GM...if he thinks this guy can help us than I believe him— LongtimeFan3
- Why not keep Miguel Cairo, he's a career .266 hitter, doesn't strike out a lot, plus he's 2 years younger.— foreclosure11
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The Phillies Zone is the place for up-to-the-minute Phillies coverage from the Inquirer.
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